"Thoughts are things, REAL things, and they are the only things you can control" My adaptation from Napoleon Hill Whether or not you're familiar with the science behind the power of the mind to influence reality, it's something you should be using to your advantage every day. As nurses, our days are crazy. They often… Continue reading Improve Your Self Talk, Revolutionize Your Practice

Most of us have seen it. Some of us have even felt it. That moment. It's the moment where a person leaves their body. Where their face goes slack, their breath ceases, the electricity goes out of the air, and they are finally at peace. Death in nursing, particularly in critical care, is an inevitability.… Continue reading The Importance of Creating a Good Death

"Practice being selfless. You always end up getting more than you anticipate when your soul is giving" When you feel alone or left out in your unit, what do you do? Do you put yourself out there? Or do you keep to yourself and get angrier and angrier, until you loathe your job along with… Continue reading Want Some Allies? Be an Ally.

"The only thing whining does is convince everyone around you that you are not in control."-My Dad In my previous post, I discussed the dangers of gossip and the erosion of trust that happens within units. Today I'd like to move on to the second naughty word, whining. We all know the whiners. They come… Continue reading Why the G and W Words are the Real Naughty Ones, Part 2.

"Gossip undermines all integrity" - Maggie Nurses all know it. You don't even have to finish nursing school to learn the oft spoken rule. You NEVER comment on how quiet the unit/shift is, lest you be damned with full on catastrophe as punishment. You'd think that it was the naughtiest word we know (but we're… Continue reading Why the G and W words are the Real Naughty Ones, Part 1.

"It's okay to be scared. Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave." A few years ago, in a small town not too far away, a young woman stood at the precipice of something. She had no idea where it would take her, how it would both hurt and heal her heart, and… Continue reading In the Beginning………